Blog

Real Estate 2018: What to Expect

As we head into a new year, the most common question we receive is, “What’s the outlook for real estate in 2018?” It’s not just potential buyers and sellers who are curious; homeowners also want reassurance their home’s value is going up. The good news is that a strong U.S. economy, coupled with low […]

Last Minute Gadget Gift Ideas

20 Home Gadget Gift Ideas to Fit Any Budget Looking for the perfect present for a loved one this holiday season? We’ve rounded up 20 of our favorite gift ideas. And since we work in real estate, we focused on items that add enjoyment, comfort and, in some cases, major value to your home. […]

Welcome Home

10 Tips to Turn Your Neighborhood Into a Hometown Haven “Communities work better (students perform better, crime rates are lower, kids are safer, people live longer) when neighbors know one another better. Knowing your neighbor on a first-name basis…is a surprisingly effective first step.” – Robert Putnam, Harvard Public Policy Professor and author of Bowling […]

Why Real Estate Investing Makes (Dollars and ) Sense

INTRODUCTION Turn on the television or scroll through Facebook, and chances are you’ll see at least one advertisement for a group or “guru” who promises to teach you how to “get rich quick” through real estate investing. The truth is, much of what they’re selling are high-risk tactics that aren’t a good fit for […]

Hiring an Amazing Real Estate Agent

The Consumer’s Guide to Hiring an Amazing Real Estate Agent When you’re buying or selling a home, it’s crucial to work with a qualified real estate agent. Not just a professional, but an amazing agent and a market expert. So how do you ensure you’re hiring an amazing real estate agent? There are […]

How To Stage Curb Appeal

Hello, Last week in my video blog on my You Tube channel, Melissa’s Real Estate Minute, I talked about the importance of not only staging the interior of your house but also the exterior when preparing to sell. Here is an article that also touches on this subject. Hope you find it helpful. http://blog.rismedia.com/2015/staging-curb-appeal-web-appeal/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email ~Melissa

New Things For The New Year

Hello, I am officially back from maternity leave, working full-time again to help you with everything real estate! Along with returning to work, I am trying some new things in this new year to provide more services to help buyers and sellers. Although I have no experience behind the camera, I have started a You […]

I Am Back To Work!

Hello, I have returned from maternity leave to work part-time this month and will be back full-time next month. If you are thinking of buying or selling, please contact me and we can discuss your timeline as well as a plan of action. Houses are still selling even though it is winter, no need to […]

Happy New Year!

Hello, I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who has contributed to my success in 2015, I truly appreciate your confidence, loyalty, trust and business. Cheers to you and here’s to a prosperous 2016 for us all! Have a fun, safe, and Happy New Year! Sincerely, Melissa

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for helping make my year a success, I am grateful for having a job I love and for all of the clients who put their trust in me. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you enjoy today and the holiday […]

“I really enjoyed working with Melissa Stevenson. I am so glad that she was our realtor! I chose her because she was in the area, appeared friendly/helpful, and she was one of the top realtors. She was so helpful with the purchase of our home. She was always willing to answer our questions, no matter the time or day of the week. Overall it was a great moving experience. I would highly recommend her!”

“Melissa has a great reputation with many people we know. She is hard-working, professional, honest, attentive, and thorough. We consider her a great friend and asset to know as a realtor. She did a wonderful job with both the sale of our old home (sold in 2 days) and selection of our forever home.

We cannot say enough about how well Melissa does her job.

We ran to some obstacles with the purchase of our home and in dealing with the other broker. She was very persistent and great at keeping us updated as the details got worked out.”

“We appreciated Melissa Stevenson's professional opinion and personal friendship through the selling process. We always felt that Melissa had our best interest in mind and we appreciated all the extra marketing ideas she used to make our home look more appealing and attractive. We were so pleased with how fast Melissa sold the house and completed the closing. We would highly recommend Melissa Stevenson to anyone in need of selling or buying a home.”

“Melissa did exactly what she said she was going to do and that was to sell our house. It happened so quick that we weren't focused too much on finding a house, but when the time came she steered us in the right direction. Melissa suggested we should write a note to the owner of the house that we wanted to offer on and that seemed to help during the negotiations. She will lead you through each step of the way and have the advice you need to make each decision. We would highly recommend Melissa Stevenson to anyone selling or buying a home.”

“Could not have asked for a better home buying experience! My boyfriend and I were both first time home buyers and knew nothing about the process when we first contacted Melissa. She was incredibly helpful with telling us what we needed to know to make a good buying decision. I always felt like she was looking out for us at every showing to make sure we ended up in a house we would love. My only regret is that we found a house fairly quickly and didn’t get to spend more time with her!”

“Always available, went the extra mile and incredibly knowledgeable about everything related to selling our home. She knows the area, knows the stats and has the pulse of the realty market. She was great to work with. We recommended Melissa to a family member and their house sold in a day!”

“Melissa went above and beyond what we expected from a realtor. She was patient and helpful with all of our needs.

Coming from another state to IL proved to be a challenge at times, but Melissa was always ready and willing to work with our schedule and time frame to show us as many homes as we picked to see in the area. We were never rushed and she went out of her way at times to meet our schedule. She always quickly returned our calls and emails with any of our questions.

We would recommend Melissa to anyone looking for a true professional to help buy or sell a home in the area. Thanks Melissa!”

“Melissa did a thorough market analysis to help us determine a fair list price for our home and within 6 days we accepted an offer at 98% of our list price. Melissa also walked us through the buying process and all the extra steps required with a Car relocation home. She was our rock during this simultaneous buying and selling process and we absolutely could not have done it with out her! She was knowledgeable, responsive, and so patient with all of our questions! You won’t find anyone better!”

“Melissa Stevenson with Newcastle Realty were GREAT to me! Me, only being 23 and buying my very first home was a great experience! Melissa was there every step of the way. If I had any questions or concerns, she was very knowledgeable. She stayed in contact with me to make sure this process goes as smooth as possible which it really did! I would strongly recommend Melissa Stevenson and Newcastle Realty to anyone thats in the market to buying or selling!”

“5 stars across the board. As a first time home buyer, I had a LOT of questions, and was very nervous. Melissa was always able to answer my questions quickly, and calm my nerves. I would recommend Melissa to anyone looking to buy a home. She listened to what I was looking for, and was so helpful in walking me through the process. I have a home that has everything on my "must have" list.”

“Melissa was personable and professional! She understood my wants and needs perfectly and was excited with me throughout the entire process of buying my first home! I felt that I was working with a dependable, knowledgeable, trustworthy friend. I would definitely recommend Melissa to friends and family members to assist with their selling or purchasing needs!”

“We enjoyed working with Melissa Stevenson. She was helpful, patient, and definitely understanding while we dealt with all the stresses of buying and selling a house. If you are in the market to sell and/or buy a house, Melissa will make the process as easy as possible. She has great recommendations for mortgage lenders and for your home inspections. We highly recommend her and thank her for all she did in helping us get our dream home!”

“Melissa went above and beyond when helping us look for a house in Peoria. She knew the area and was most helpful and available in our short window. I am positive my son will have a great experience in Peoria at Bradley university and with Melissa's help we have a plan for the next four years.”

“Melissa has been a friend for years and I was happy to make our first call to her when we decided to begin looking for our home. She is very knowledgeable about neighborhoods and helped point out things to look at during showings. She was always available and patient answering the numerous questions we had about the process. We felt like we were in good hands the whole time. Thanks Melissa, we love our house!”

“We picked Melissa Stevenson because she lived around the corner from us and specialized in houses located in The Uplands.

Melissa was fabulous and went above and beyond for us. She worked very very hard to sell our house in a terrible market. We so appreciate everything she has done for us!

Melissa was responsive to our every need. She responded immediately and was always in touch with us. Our emails and phone calls were answered immediately and we knew we could count on her for anything we needed.

We would recommend Melissa to anyone who wants a realtor who works very hard on her client's behalf and is extremely responsible, diligent and professional.”

“I knew Melissa was the right woman for the job based on the referral I got from a friend of mine. Melissa made a great first impression by coming to my home and talking with me about any needs for updates and we seemed to be on the same page. She listened to my desires as far as what work I wanted to do on the home prior to putting it on the market.

Melissa worked in a very timely fashion and made the process painless.

Melissa always made me feel comfortable about coming to her with any questions throughout the process. She answered all of my questions in a very timely fashion. Melissa was very knowledgeable about the real estate in my area of West Peoria.”